Every preparation was complete.
Waver Velvet—proving himself worthy of his future title as Lord El-Melloi II by reading the situation instantly—had brought a significant quantity of vanilla ice cream tubs, ice water, and various frozen treats, along with an ice box to store them all.
"…Since Waver is here, let us depart."
Just as they had gathered at the docks, the entire group began to move as one.
The King of Conquerors, a man too large to be called merely 'big'; the red-haired, squinting Tristan; Diarmuid, carrying his two spears upon his back; and even Artoria, who, despite being in formal attire, carried her holy sword at her hip.
It was a profoundly unbalanced assembly that gave me pause, but I figured they would likely be perceived as nothing more than 'a group of eccentric people.' Thus, I did not bother ordering them to spiritize. We marched with heads held high toward Taishan, the Red State Banquet Hall.
Upon opening the Chinese-style sliding doors and stepping inside, I saw that instead of the scattered empty seats of a normal restaurant, a single long table had been formed by joining several others together. Seats were laid out as if to accommodate our exact numbers, and there stood…
"You have arrived."
A certain red something.
A dish so violently red it bordered on the nauseating, with dark oil and chili flakes floating in thick clusters. Even with my 'Eyes,' I could not decipher it… It was as if the concept of an indescribable abyss had been manifested in culinary form.
Sitting on one side, the Wise King sat staring at the dish with a grimace. Tokiomi Tohsaka was likewise looking at Kotomine Kirei with an expression that screamed, 'Are you actually suggesting we eat this?'
"Uum… Hmm… Hmph. My apologies. I grew tired of waiting and began eating first. Everyone, please, take a seat. As you know, I am Kotomine Kirei, Master of Assassin and the current acting representative of the Holy Church for this war."
Having ushered everyone to their seats, he spoke in a voice that was dreadfully pious and serious.
"So… will you partake?"
"AS IF I WOULD!"
Waver screamed.
* * * * *
Kotomine Kirei ignored Waver's reaction and served Mapo Tofu to everyone, yet save for a few, no one dared lay a finger on it.
Even the Wise King sent his bowl back as if ordering a monstrosity to be cleared away, and even the King of Conquerors refused to touch that particular vessel.
"Mmm. It is a bit spicy, but it is quite edible."
"Yes, it appears so, my King."
"No, are you crazy…? Can you actually eat that?"
"Hmm… It seems far superior to the cooking of Sir Gawain."
…Once again, I felt the urge to offer my deepest condolences regarding the culinary skills of the Round Table.
Once the 'Mapo-Gundam' had finally finished his meal, a man who had been sitting in a corner stepped forward, indicating that the time for discussion had come.
He bore a striking resemblance to Father Kotomine Kirei, but was significantly older. This was Kotomine Risei, his father.
"I am Kotomine Risei, the supervisor of this Holy Grail War. I never imagined that four factions would unite to request a conference."
"If your side hadn't resorted to the petty trick of colluding with the supervisor, we wouldn't have needed to go this far."
As Risei and Tokiomi averted their eyes guiltily, the Wise King burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Did I not warn you several times? This man is not so foolish that he would fail to notice your shallow schemes."
"I appreciate the praise… but do you know who I am?"
"How could I not? Those who possess 'Eyes' have a vague understanding of one another. You know them as well, do you not? That dream demon in paradise, and that fool who received wisdom from God."
"…Hmm, those aren't exactly people I enjoy knowing."
Actually, is it even right to call them people?
Merlin isn't purely human, and Solomon is either currently a dead Heroic Spirit… or the Demon Gods are wearing his hollow shell like a cloak.
"Wise King, I believe we must first hear what their demands are. So, for what purpose have you come? If you intend to argue for the fairness of the Holy Grail War…"
"No, forget that. This ritual called the Holy Grail War can't be judged by 'fairness' in the first place, can it? I'm sure the Wise King there already knows. It's a system designed to reach the Root by grinding up Heroic Spirits as fuel."
"Ho? Is this not interesting, Tokiomi? To think you dared to consider using me."
Wait… had the Wise King not known? If I recall, in the original 4th War, it was Kotomine Kirei who awakened to pleasure and explained the true nature of the ritual before forcing Gilgamesh to commit suicide with a Command Spell—or rather, revealing the plot.
"Well, enough with the small talk… What we four Masters are formally requesting is the immediate cessation of the Holy Grail War."
"…Did you say the cessation of the war?"
"Correct! Firstly, we four Masters have no wishes we want to grant through the Grail. And among the four Servants here, except for the King of Conquerors, the wishes of the others have essentially been fulfilled."
Saber's wish regarding the salvation of Britain weighed on my mind, but since 'this' Saber didn't seem consumed by that obsession, I moved past it… leaving only the King of Conquerors, who desired world conquest through incarnation.
"Hmm… If that is the case, it sounds as if the four of you are effectively declaring your withdrawal from the war."
"Far from it. If we simply withdrew, the Servants would naturally be absorbed into the Grail. What we want is closer to resolving a problem that has occurred within the Grail itself."
"…A problem with the Grail? What does that mean?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka, who looked as if he might be crushed by Gilgamesh's aura at any moment, finally spoke up.
"The Einzberns made a mistake during the Third Holy Grail War. The cursed energy of the Avenger summoned then remains trapped within the Greater Grail. What happens if you keep pouring water into a filth-caked cup? Especially a cup that is already filled to the brim? If we proceed with the war as planned…"
"It means the sealed malignancy will be unleashed, turning the entirety of Fuyuki City into a wasteland and bringing about the end of this world."
"As expected of your Clairvoyance. You already knew?"
"Hmph! Do you truly think I would fail to notice such a pathetic malignancy? Insolent mongrel!"
…Actually, no, you were just ignoring it. Under that nonsense logic of yours about purging the world once.
"The Tokiomi Tohsaka camp stayed silent because they were in league with the supervisor. Anyway, does the Wise King agree with eliminating that damn malignancy?"
"Naturally. That wretched malice provides no benefit to this world, nor to the Human Order which is the very reason for our existence. Removal is the only answer."
"But if that is gone, the path to the Root will—"
The moment Tokiomi tried to object, revealing his lingering attachment to the Root, a golden ripple suddenly appeared in the air around him, followed by a blinding flash of light.
With a thunderous roar, rubies and emeralds shattered, sending fragments of jewelry, bits of the table, chairs, and Mapo Tofu broth flying into the air. I quickly pulled Waver Velvet toward me and used Shinra Tensei to deflect the incoming debris.
Saber swung her sword a few times, creating a gust that cleared the dust. When Tristan knocked out a screaming employee, Kayneth immediately began applying suggestion spells to them.
Once the air finally cleared, everyone present could see what had happened.
Rather than being cleanly cut, Tokiomi Tohsaka's wrist had been practically torn off by a magical bombardment. Gilgamesh was holding it.
"I have already overlooked this mongrel's insolence once. Had this been Uruk, the mere act of daring to speak a lie to me would be a capital crime punishable by death ten thousand times over. However, taking into account the sub-human nature of the magi, I let it pass once."
Gilgamesh, dangling the wrist adorned with Command Spells, eventually tossed it toward me.
"Be grateful that you have two young daughters. Had you no family, I would have torn you limb from limb with my own hands."
"Guh…"
"There is no human anywhere who can issue commands to me. Use those Command Spells to alleviate your own wretched poverty."
As expected of the King of Heroes. He must have seen me giving Command Spells to Kayneth as well.
I had intended to seize the Command Spells anyway on the grounds that the Church supervisor had committed an injustice, so I suppose receiving them this way is fine.
"Ugh… my arm, my arm…"
"Foolish man. That is the price of desire that exceeds one's station."
After that curt remark, Gilgamesh warped the golden ripples again, pulling out an exquisitely decorated golden necklace and several beads the size of fingernails. He set them down beside the employee Kayneth had hypnotized.
"Ordinarily, it is proper etiquette to receive a king's tribute while kneeling with one's forehead to the ground, but we are short on time, so I shall permit this informal procedure. You should consider this an honor that will last three generations, mongrel."
"…Arbitrary with his praise, arbitrary with his forgiveness. Truly befitting the greatest King of Heroes!"
"Hmph! I am the first king and the greatest king. Any item I bestow is something anyone should receive with joy!"
* * * * *
Kotomine Kirei tried to save at least some of his precious Mapo Tofu, but he was forced to yield to Gilgamesh's razor-sharp pressure and head toward the Church. Tokiomi Tohsaka's injury was severe, but Irisviel stepped in and used healing magecraft, which seemed to close the wound somewhat.
Finally, once everyone was seated within the Holy Church, Kirei clapped his hands twice.
As if on cue, dozens of Assassins wearing skull masks manifested. It was the Hassan of the Hundred Faces.
"The last Hassan, the Hassan of the Hundred Faces… With this, all Servants except for Berserker are gathered."
"Then, please, provide a detailed explanation. Just how do you intend to resolve the issue within that Greater Grail?"
"It isn't that complicated. The King of Heroes' Sword of Rupture would literally obliterate this city, so that's out, but the holy sword of the stars, Excalibur, should be able to cleanly purge the filth of the Grail. I'll handle the purification of the curse spewing from the Grail myself, and if it looks like it'll be a major problem…"
"I see. Lancer's Gae Dearg, the crimson rose of exorcism?"
"Correct. And the King of Conquerors, we'll use your chariot to provide the necessary firepower. While we're cleaning out the filthy cup, some wastewater might splash, right? Your chariot will trample over all those disgusting dregs."
"Hmm, acting as the waste disposal crew. It doesn't quite sit right with me, but I suppose this is no time for complaints!"
"Tristan will guard the Masters just in case, and the Wise King will…"
"I shall handle my own affairs."
That made sense. Irregularities like the 'Holy Sword of the Stars' aside, the King of Heroes' Gate of Babylon contained the prototypes of all mystic armaments, starting with Ea itself.
"However, you… do you truly intend to destroy the Greater Grail with Excalibur?"
"Not immediately. First, we have to separate Lady Irisviel from the Lesser Grail. Even if the Lesser Grail has completely integrated with her soul, if we use the Third Magic…"
"No, that is not what I meant."
"…Then what? Surely you don't mean to leave that filth as it is?"
"Do not interrupt me, mongrel!"
After a sharp shout, Gilgamesh finally spoke.
"Do you *truly* believe that thing is merely 'filth'?"
"…If it isn't filth, then what? Angra Mainyu, All the World's Evil—the reality of it was a trash-like curse placed upon him by villagers. What remains in the Grail is that young man's curse and a massive lump of magical energy. If we remove that, there should be no problem."
"Mongrel. As I thought, you are still lacking."